After starting 1-5 from the field in the first quarter, Sam reenters the game in the second quarter at 5:28 with the Clippers down eight. After Brand tips a horrible Devin Brown pass, Liivingston races it up and finds Sam for the 18-foot PUJIT. Yep.

The Clippers racked up 19 fast break points, the most in a game since November 14 at Utah, the seventh game of the season. After the Sacramento win, I suggested that the Clippers benefit from slower games. Having said that, there are teams --- the Hornets, Utah, Houston...and, yes, Minnesota --- the Clippers can exploit in transition. Having Sam on the court allows the Clippers to manufacture those easy buckets. Without Sam, the Clips have been backing it out of transition almost every time up.

Off a screwball play, in which Linton Johnson strips the rock from EB, then the Hornets lose it in transition after Singleton tips it away from Pargo from behind, the Clips gets it to Sam who goes up or the PUJIT, realizes he's got contact, leans into Chandler, and hits the shot anyway.

A beautiful hybrid of Sam's most lethal maneuvers - the PUJIT and the lean-to.

Another brilliant hybrid a couple minutes later off an EB offensive rebound. A double-clutching, two-handed hurl as Devin Brown falls into Sam.

Coming out of halftime, with the Clippers down two, here's the Cassell/Brand synergy. Shaun inbounds the ball to Sam after an off-ball foul on Tyson Chandler. Sam holds it up top momentarily. EB arrives on the scene way up high to screen Brown, and Sam immediately finds the open space, two dribbles to his right, for the open 23-footer. Just a perfect little Elton/Sam number.

There were plenty of other PUJITs, and a nice two-man waltz with Mobley in the near post that yielded an open Sam three when Pargo fell asleep, and --- my personal favorite --- a textbook elbow screen from Elton at 7:20 in the 4th that allowed Sam to sink a 20-footer to put the Clips up by five.

One of the things I think we forget is that Elton Brand can do so much more for you on a court to win basketball games than merely score. And when Sam Cassell runs the offense, those assets seem to materialize. For the first time in a month last night, EB didn't seem frustrated. And he didn't have time to because he was so busy working off the ball to get Sam his looks. There's a terrific symbiosis between these two guys and, when it's on display, the Clippers play their best basketball.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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Comments

That's the absolute truth, Kevin. Clippers do benefit from slower pace because we don't have sharp shooters. Livingston prefers speed but he's not surrounded by shooters to go along with it.

Sam played great. Everyone knows he can do it. But will his body allow him to do it every game? Absolutely not. Dunleavy played Mobley for 47(!) min. Cassell 35. If our coach is aware of energy crisis, he'll chose to utilize players carefully.

Let Sam start & finish each game. Relying on him too much is dangerous.

Luke Jackson. Giving him a chance to play on 10-day contract is OK. During Maggette trade transaction we need someone to fill-in.
Spurs are considering Maggette deal seriously. They know he can help against Dalls & Phoenix during playoff.
Spurs are serious because they are up against Lakers, Suns & Mavs. They might offer Barry & Beno

Glad Sam is back. Too bad he wasn't back two days earlier against Atlanta. Sadly I doubt the Clippers would've beaten NOOK without Sam, even with their four best players out of the game. The Clips two road wins this trip came against badly hurt teams, and they lost two games to teams with hurt players (Grant Hill & Keyong Dooling, and Josh Smith and Tyrone Lue). Sure, the Clips were missing some people of their own, but this team needs to step up. As someone great said there is no I in team. Uhm, let's hope Sam can keep being I until we find a team.

What happened to Kaman last nite? It's a mistake to trade Maggette...Sam and Shaun need to be on the court in the 4th quarter. Give Sam enough mins (16)to keep his jumper in sync; perhaps give all the rest of the mins (32) to Magette when Sam is on the pine. With Shaun running the point have Magette at the 2 because he just eats up other 2's in this leauge and this allows the Clippers to have another scorer in the game when Sam's out.

only if we could've got artest last year when we had the chance...i have no doubt we would've beat the suns last year...it would've never even have gone to a game 7...even if we do get him this year, i don't think it would help that much...jeez, i'm rambling, fucking clippers...

GAME AGAINST TWOLVES. They have won 4 in a row. Wolves are ahead of us for #8 spot. Entire TWolves are team defense oriented. They are determined. And they are hungry wolves. We might take cover tonite & simply lose. If we win ouright, future might seem brighter.

Garnett has been on fire since they changed the ball back on the 1st, and Ricky Davis has a history of lighting up the Clippers but I'm not as nervous as i would've been if Cassell hadn't returned. I checked out that other blog and it's actually pretty good.

I'm worried about Kaman every night no matter who the opponent. That guy would get posterized by greg ostertag if he was still playing. Kaman is garbage, i'd trade him right now for mark madsen and a pack of cigarettes. And yeah you guys should add that other blog to your "sites we like", the graphics are cheesy but the content is fresh. http://www.clippers.wordpre...

Is Jackson going to play? If they signed him and are paying him about $9,000 per game, why is he just sitting? Don't they have better things to do with their money? It's not that I think they need him but what's going on?